Politics

It was the fall of 1985 when Min. Louis Farrakhan burst onto the New York City political scene. I was a journalism student at Columbia University at the time and, truth be told, I was woefully naive and politically uninformed. I had only a vague idea of who Farrakhan was until he gave a controversial…

It is not a candidate’s race that ultimately determines the outcome of an election in this country, but the power and appeal of his or her message—especially if that message addresses the needs and concerns of all ethnic groups, not just people of color or whites. Since his early days as an Illinois state senator,…

In music, they call laying the lyrics from one song over music from a different genre a “mash-up.” My favorite example is “Collision Course,” the effort from rock group Linkin Park and Jay-Z that resulted in the song “Numb/Encore,” used in the 2006 movie re-make of Miami Vice. Like these “mash-ups” that take two songs…

Monday’s release of a photo showing Barack Obama dressed as a Somali elder during his 2006 visit to northeastern Kenya was not just cynical, cowardly and out-of-bounds, it was also deeply ironic. After all, it is Black History Month. During February, PBS featured the special African American Lives II. The show, hosted by The Root…

In the midst of Obama’s unimaginable ten-state sweep, with everyone talking about unity — black and white, blue and white collar, old and young — black-brown unity regrettably lags behind. Tensions between blacks and Latinos, painfully hyped by the media in the run-up to the California primary, could be fatal to the country’s best present…

One of the really unfortunate aspects of the current battle for the Democratic presidential nomination is the apologetic position many blacks are taking regarding Barack Obama’s candidacy. It goes something like this: “We shouldn’t press him too much to talk about black issues because that might mess it up for the brother.” This color-before-accountability group-think…

A friend of mine once referred to a prominent black conservative writer as a “blackface mercenary.” In kind of a knee-jerk response, I agreed, since I disagree with most so-called black conservatives. On deeper reflection, I asked myself: is that really a fair characterization? And then I recalled a curious little essay by one black…

If Sen. Barack Obama harbors any hope of winning the Ohio Democratic primary, he will have to flip the script on his so-far successful formula. In most of his primary and caucus victories, Obama relied on the energy and excitement of college kids to build a movement-like crusade. The settings for his stump speeches have…

I was starting to get very concerned about Cindy McCain. Up until this past Tuesday afternoon, when she took a not-so-subtle shot at Michelle Obama, she has been what some have dubbed the political “Stepford Wife.” Think about it. Mrs. McCain walks quietly and adoringly behind her husband as he campaigns. She is blonde, blue-eyed,…

After living here for two years, I’ve grown accustomed to life in Hawaii. My attorney is Japanese. The woman who rings up my eco-friendly Martha Stewart pans at K-Mart is Filipino. The baggers at Safeway are aging Hawaiian ladies, and the young woman who takes my order at Jamba Juice is “hapa haole,” or half-white.…